Life as She Knew It
by triplthreat11
Summary: Rachel Berry hadn't seen the man who broke her heart in 6 years; what happens when she sees him and the old feelings come back?
1. A Perfect Facade

Hey this is my first try at an actual story, I have no idea what the reaction to this will be but I love this idea and I want to see it on the screen. Anyway writing is not my strong suit so please be brutally honest but kind with the honesty if you don't mind(: Here goes my take on Puck and Rachel. Oh and also if it's not liked I'll definitely stop writing it so no one has to suffer:p

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, or like many other's thoughts Puck and Rachel would be together. I also don't own any references to Broadway or musicals. Not sure if I needed to state that but better safe than sorry!

It had been six years since Rachel Berry had set foot into Lima, Ohio, and she had intended to keep it that way. She was successful, but the journey to that was troublesome. She arrived in New York with a naïve mind and a broken heart. She originally planned to take the stage by storm and take siege of the role of Maria in _West Side Story_; however reality hit hard when she was rejected without a second glance. This in combination with her heartbreak from the man whose name she never thought of sent her into a wave of desperation. She threw herself into her work, which distracted her from the events of that one day, and after some roles in chorus lines or understudies she finally became a lead. Starring as Elphaba in _Wicked_ wasn't her original plan but she was beyond happy and she thought she was finally rid of him.

So when she received the email from her old teacher about a glee club reunion in order to restore enthusiasm and to discourage complicity into his current club she couldn't help but think about the time this happened to her club. Which lead her to think of _him_ and how good he looked in the boys' mash up. No she wouldn't allow herself to think of it, but she felt it was her duty to Mr. Shue to show up and perform with the other clubbers. So that's why Rachel Berry found herself stepping out of her dads' Jeep and up the driveway of her old house. She kept in contact with some members like Kurt, Mercedes, and Finn, and she knew they would all be at the reunion. "It won't be too bad, seeing I'll have friends with me," she thought solemnly. And since they told her he had RSVP'd to the reunion, she knew he'd be there, he always did what he said he'd do. It was a quality she had once admired. Now that she was thinking of him, she allowed her mind to wonder in ways she had always repressed. What had happened that caused that fateful Saturday? Did he decide to settle down with Quinn? Is there even a possibility of me and….? No, she spent too long separating him from her mind and one lousy trip home wouldn't change the past. No she would stand her ground and ignore him like she should've done in high school. Better yet she'd show him how much she has changed since high school and how wonderful that change had been for her. Her new life was perfect and she was determined to show everyone that.

After Rachel had unpacked her things, said goodbye to her dads and took their' Jeep and drove over to the popular restaurant that she had planned to meet Finn and his girlfriend Stacy for dinner. As she entered the restaurant she saw her old friend/the man she had once been madly in love with. Looking at his goofy silly grin she wondered what she had seen in him her sophomore year. She knew that Finn was concerned about her reaction to being back in Lima so she put on her stage smile. His girlfriend Stacy was gorgeous and the two of them made a cute couple. As Rachel took her seat across from them the conversation was good and it reminded her why she wanted to come back to Lima. After a hearty dinner of fettuccini alfredo she paid and bid her goodbye.

On her way home she took a detour passing the high school. Driving past it happy memories flooded her and along with the good came the sad. No this was going to be a happy trip she though. So turning around and heading to the corner store to pick up milk like her fathers had wanted her too was when she saw _him._ In line buying her 2% milk was when her perfect façade came crashing down. A few seconds she heard a voice from behind, one that she'd recognize in her sleep, because she often dreamt of it. "Welcome back Berry," came the ever sexy voice of Noah Puckerman. She turned around slowly and when she saw him for the first time in six years her jaw went slack.

AN: So….how terrible?? Geez I'm scared to hear the feedback but please do review. It would mean a lot. Thanks for taking the time to read it I appreciate that too!!  
(:


	2. RBerry12yahoocom

Wowie. I am so stoked about the alerts and some favorites I got. I mean wow, you guys are so nice. A special thanks to those who reviewed-you guys seriously made my day!! It was so nice to come home and have reviews!! It was awesome to hear and of course I'd love it if I could maybe get some more…? Bad or good will still be nice. Once again thanks to those who reviewed(: you guys made me smile. Anyway carrying on to the story I still do not own glee, do I need to state that every time or is it assumed after I say it once? Also Leah is a name I got from a Jewish website, if someone else has used this name I in no way intended to have the similarity.

Noah "Puck" Puckerman had been thoroughly enjoying his day. After spending a couple hours with his daughter, Leah, he felt that nothing could make his day more complete. That is until he read the forwarded email from William Shuester, McKinley high school's own glee director, asking about a glee club reunion.

"There is no way I'm going to go sing and dance in front of high school students," he thought sourly. That is until he read the list of email address attached to email. One in particular stood out more than others: . "No," he said to no one in particular, "There's no way little Miss Berry will grace us with her presence for this lame excuse of a reunion. On second thought only she would jump at the chance to be reunited with the rest of the group."

He grabbed his phone off the table and quickly pressed the speed dial for his ex-wife Quinn Fabray. Leaving a voice message he told her about the reunion and how they would all be going and how everyone would have to sing. He also mentioned that she should bring Leah as it would be add a sense of completion to the group. He added in how he saw Finn's address on the email. He knew Quinn had never gotten over Finn and in fact that had lead to their separation. This realization would only make her want to attend the function even more. Maybe if _she _saw how in love Quinn was with Finn, she would realize that he only did that to her so they could try to keep a family together.

*_flashback*_

_ Once Leah Sara Puckerman-Fabray had been born, life for both Quinn and Puck had changed dramatically. Puck had finally stopped his chasings and became a one woman man with none other than Rachel Berry. The coupling was strange at first but after a while everyone could see the way they complemented each other. One was more verbal, the other physical; one was more loud, the other quiet; one was open to love, the other afraid of it. They took McKinley High by storm and soon became a beloved couple that no one threw slushies on, as they were afraid of the reaction of Puck. No one thought anything could break them especially once she rejected Finn in front of the entire school so she could be with Puck._

_ Quinn had left the school and decided to complete her junior year online so she could take care of Leah and still be able to graduate on time with the rest of her class. She had finally agreed to allow Puck into the world of her daughter, even though it killed her that it wasn't Finn. About twice a week he'd come over, that's all she would allow at first, and in the beginning she began to dread the time allotted time for the father daughter interactions. But seeing Puck and Leah interact with each other, the gentleness of Puck and the fondness he extracted from himself lead her to feelings that she never would've thought she could've felt. She started inviting him over more and more; soon he was over there five days a week for four hours at a time. She felt herself falling for Puck in more ways than one. Over the year she fell in what she believed to be love with 'Father Puck' and 'Badass Puck' and then who she saw as Noah. One day, around the end of his senior year, as he was about to leave she gave him a slight peck on the lips, and told him to come over tomorrow. She had a proposition for him and it was one he could not refuse._

_ Puck went over to Quinn's a little apprehensive the next day. He felt as though he was neglecting Rachel in some way although she encouraged time being spent with Leah. That's why Rachel was such a great person; she understood things he could not tell her. So as he pulled up to Quinn's he wondered why he was feeling guilty all of a sudden. Entering the Fabray's house he was pulled into Quinn's embrace and was whispered in his ear _

_ "Be a family with us Noah. Come live with us and we can raise Leah together as one unit," Quinn breathed. _

_ "I can't, even though I'd love to be with Leah every day. I cannot just forget about Rachel," he said. Rachel, the one who always had a smile with him, the one who was there for him after Babygate, and the one he saw himself as a future husband with. But Quinn's breath on his neck was leading him into thoughts he never thought he'd think. _

_ "No," he stated firmly, releasing Quinn's arms from around his neck. "I love Leah and I love Rachel. I can't just leave Rachel."_

_ "But you'll leave your daughter like this? If you don't accept my agreement then you'd be just like your deadbeat father." Quinn knew she was crossing a line but like Coach Slyvester said she'd do anything to get what she wanted. "If you don't accept my offer than you'll never see Leah again, I can't let her have a father who doesn't put her first."_

_Noah hung his head in resignation and Quinn saw that she had won. Oddly enough the win wasn't satisfying to her. Burying that feeling she told Noah that in the summer she would be moving to Columbus to go to school at Ohio State University and he should come along, as she knew he had been accepted there. Noah agreed numbly, and the thoughts were racing through his head about what had he just done. He left Quinn's and called Rachel and told her to meet him at the football field. Once there, he sat her down and told her the most ultimate lie he's ever told, even worse than the one he told Finn a couple years ago. Leaving her alone and heartbroken he never looked back at the crumpling life form of Rachel Berry._

_*end flashback*_

"God, it will be nice to see her," Puck thought, "Although she might not be too happy to see me." The weeks before the reunion flew by, as Puck had to manage his above ground pool selling corporation and finally it was that fateful Saturday when he needed beer that his blasé life was quickly given a curveball.

Getting in line behind someone, with incredibly long legs covered in skinny jeans, Puck realized that him seven or eight years ago would've already said countless innuendos that would've lead him to either: a) slap on the face; or b) a ticket into bed. As he mused over this he listened to the small talk between the cashier and the brunette in front of him. "What is all this incessant babbling," he thought, "she only has milk." Then a gut twisting thought formed. There was only one short, brunette with killer legs that could make a conversation last that long. Without looking at her face Puck drawled out in his what could only be described as 'sexy' voice, "Welcome back Berry," and was pleased with the reaction on her face. Her mouth opened and all it would take was for him to lean down and remember how it was back in those high school years. He was not expecting the loud smack of his cheek as he staggered back in the line and looked down at the fiery girl, actually, fiery woman in front of him. She promptly turned, grabbed her milk, and stormed out of the corner store. Puck chuckled softly to himself, "Yeah that's the Berry I remember."

AN: So….I wasn't going here in my head, it just kinda happened. If I post another chapter it will be about Rachel's reaction to seeing Puck. Just give me your thoughts about I should continue this; as always reviews are greatly loved:D Also please let me know if it seems strange with the high school years. I tried googling the ages group and couldn't find a specific answer, so I grouped them all together. Quinn had her baby at the beginning of her junior year. Thanks again, you guys are awesome(:


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